The Dead are Walking the Earth
by Justright
Summary: A loved one returns and brings serious trouble along.
1. The Deads are walking the Earth I

1 THE DEADS ARE WALKING THE EARTH  
  
Chapter one  
  
  
  
"It's not fair," Phoebe cried, "it's just not fair."  
  
She hit her pillow repeatedly, which from the look of it had to endure repeated beatings lately.  
  
Tears began to form in her already puffy eyes. She was about to resume the poor pillow's beating but suddenly exhaustion washed over her. Sleep hadn't come easily these past few days. Ever since Cole died, she'd been in a daze; if and when she fell asleep, it was always agitated by awful nightmares. She couldn't help imagining him tortured by the flames of hell.  
  
She gave a somewhat pleading stare toward the ceiling.  
  
"He saved us… and you! Why couldn't you do something for him? You took him away from me and threw him away like he was nothing."  
  
All of this, she told in a desperate voice. She knew that if they were gonna listen to her, they would have by now. She turned back to her pillow and decided to try sleeping again. "Who knows maybe, it won't be so bad this time?" She thought forlornly.  
  
In the living room, the girls were just sitting, while watching a little TV. The manor has been so quiet except for the up and down mood Phoebe had been in the last few days.  
  
"Do you think she'll be ok?" Piper uttered softly.  
  
Prue turn off the set, and then answered in the same voice, almost as if they were afraid that talking louder would be showing disrespect somehow.  
  
"I'm sure she will be eventually… but I've got no idea when. I don't even know what to tell her."  
  
"How do you comfort a person who knows what she does?" Prue thought sadly. There weren't even the usual words of wisdom, like he is now in a better place."  
  
Piper interrupted her grim musing:  
  
"I said it before and I'll say it again. Those rules of theirs are too much."  
  
"Listen to us though… a few months ago we were hell-bent on vanquishing him… no pun intended," she says with a joyless smile. "Now we're debating on why the powers could not let him in heaven."  
  
"Too true, but it doesn't change the fact that he saved us all, and not just once. We may have distrusted him, but he really proved us wrong. Phoebe was the only one who saw it. Poor baby…"  
  
"Leo gave you any news?"  
  
Piper was about to respond by the negative, when the chime announcing her husband's return caught her attention.  
  
Both women looked up as he materialized, but it was obvious from his expression that the news wasn't good.  
  
"Sorry, no news." He confirmed.  
  
"Just how long do they intend to debate this?" Piper exclaimed with an impatient gesture, as she seemed to have gotten over her restraint.  
  
Leo responded in a conciliatory fashion:  
  
"You know that time is not the same here and there. To them, it's only been a short while ago."  
  
"They might try to consider that every moment is an eternity for Phoebe. And I don't even wanna think about Cole." Prue uttered irritably.  
  
"They said that your arguments about Cole's humanity and his right to forgiveness were valid. They understand… However, greater rules are binding them. Not even they can change the facts that a demon can never enter Heaven. When the fallen angels quit millennia ago, they were warned that there would not be any forgiveness for them. I know that it really doesn't seem fair, but they obeyed to a very different set of rules than humans."  
  
"You know, that's one thing I never really understood. They were his creation too. Didn't they have rights?" Piper questioned curiously.  
  
"From what I understand, the powers given to them were such that in order to keep peace in the Heavens, strict rules had to be imposed. It did work for a very long time…Anyhow, like I said, the rules come from way above even the elders. Nevertheless, they hinted that they might've another idea. It's not easy and they're not really sure if it'll be approved. That's why they won't tell me what it is just yet…"  
  
The girls sighed in tandem but said nothing and then they just let the silence fill the room; all of them were lost in thoughts obviously none too pleasant.  
  
In the Alley behind P3, a bright flash of light exploded noiselessly from behind one of the dumpsters. Inside the club, the lights dimmed for a few seconds causing loud recriminations from the customers, but the event lasted only a few seconds and nobody went to investigate. The Bartender only remarked to one of the more sedate customers at the bar:  
  
"Power surge, I guess… I thought that I saw a flash through the back door. Weird though, there was no noise."  
  
The other just dismissed the bartender's musings and returned to his interrupted conversation. The bartender shrugged it off and went back to his own duties without giving the strange event much thought afterward.  
  
Back in the alley, a low moaning came from behind the dumpsters. Then a man, stark naked and apparently covered with some kind of gelatinous substance, came out from behind the dumpsters, crawling and seemingly in pain. He tried to stand up but fell flat on his face. Then he simply stopped moving.  
  
The next morning at the manor, Piper was surprised to get a call from the cleaning crew so early. They were not in the habit of calling her about their assignments. However, what they wanted to report was even stranger. She hung up, and went to the kitchen with a pensive expression.  
  
"Who was that?" Prue asked distractedly.  
  
"It was the cleaning crew at P3. They didn't want to call earlier but they thought that I should know."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"It's just so strange…they found a man behind the bar last night," Piper answered. "They say he was naked and unconscious."  
  
Prue eyed her sister sarcastically.  
  
"Well it wouldn't be the first time they found original or crazy people in alleys, now would it?"  
  
"No, what's weird is that the guy was also covered with some kind of gelatin. In addition, when the paramedics came to take him, he had just regained consciousness but he couldn't remember a thing."  
  
"I'll admit that's weird but I don't think it has anything to do with our brand of problems…probably just a lunatic…"  
  
Piper was still pensive:  
  
"I guess. I just wonder why they always end up on our doorstep, or the bar's for that matter. We must have some kind of magnet to attract trouble."  
  
Phoebe came in while she was talking:  
  
"What is it about trouble?"  
  
"Apparently, it's not for us this time. You don't have to worry."  
  
"Who's worrying?" Phoebe replied flatly.  
  
The other two exchanges concerned looks.  
  
"How are you this morning?" Prue inquired solicitously.  
  
Phoebe answered after a fashion:  
  
"Well, at least I did sleep last night; and I got another dream about Cole."  
  
Prue came to her and wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders:  
  
"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry about all this."  
  
Phoebe looked up, as if she was about to add something none too nice. However, she refrained from it. Instead, she continued on about the dream.  
  
"Anyway, you know that my dreams, or rather nightmares, this week were all about hell and the sort. Last night, it was different."  
  
"Different how?" Piper asked with interest. Phoebe had told them about the awful nightmares she'd been having and she thought that any change might be for the better.  
  
"Well this time Cole was coming to me and there were no more flames pulling him back. He even told me not to worry anymore. That everything would be all right. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to make myself feel better..." She hesitated and then she added in a strangled voice:  
  
"But I don't want to just forget about it."  
  
At this point she turned toward Prue and sobbed uncontrollably on her shoulder. Piper came closer and stroked her hair sympathetically, while only wishing that they could find a way to alleviate her pain. However, all they could do was to be there for her…  
  
Later that morning, Phoebe was lying down on the couch in the living room while hugging the cushions and staring blandly. Piper had left already, but Prue came to ask her whether she'd be ok by herself for a little while.  
  
"That's ok, don't worry I'll be fine..."  
  
Prue watched her uncertainly still.  
  
Phoebe sensed her hesitation and forced a weak smile as she looked up.  
  
"No really, I'll be fine. Where are you going?"  
  
"Actually, I was going to the hospital to check up on something."  
  
Phoebe is suddenly concerned:  
  
"Is somebody sick?"  
  
"No nothing like that. It's just that they found a man unconscious behind P3 last night and the circumstances were a little weird. I just thought I'd check it out.  
  
Phoebe returned to her brooding mood.  
  
"Ok, well, just let me know I guess."  
  
To Prue, it was obvious that on Phoebe's part, it had only been a polite inquiry at best. Prue tried to put on a good face for her sister but seeing her like this, she couldn't help being apprehensive. Stifling a sigh, Prue waved her sister goodbye and only got a half hearted response again which did nothing to reassure her about Phoebe's state of mind.  
  
At P3, Piper had just arrived when the bartender came to her and asked how much she knew about the preceding night's strange events.  
  
"Well, I got a phone call this morning… Strange, isn't it? Were you there when they found him?"  
  
"No actually I just heard about this myself. But there was something else that happened earlier. At the time, I didn't think much of it but after hearing about that man, I wonder if this could be related?"  
  
Piper became more alert at this:  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well last night, around midnight, there was a bright flash of light in the alley behind the bar. There was no sound at all, but the lights dimmed inside the bar. You should have heard the customers," he adds with a smile that says you know the kind.  
  
Piper smiled back distractedly but her mind was already working fast on the new problem.  
  
At the hospital, Prue went up to the receptionist and asked if they knew anything about a man found behind P3 the night before.  
  
This one eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"Do you know that man?"  
  
Prue answered as confidently as she could muster:  
  
"How could I? My only interest in this is that my sister owns the bar in question and wants to make sure she won't liable in any way."  
  
"Well I don't really know what your rights are on the matter," the receptionist answered warily, "but if you want to talk to the doctor who signed his release, here he comes."  
  
Prue showed her surprise there:  
  
"He left already?"  
  
"That's all I can tell you." The receptionist answered, obviously already annoyed with the subject. Then she turned to a man in white coat coming toward them.  
  
"Dr Carter," she called. "This young lady here is asking about the strange patient from this morning; you know the one?"  
  
"The one who refused treatment?"  
  
"Yes, that one," the receptionist replied before returning to her paperwork.  
  
Dr Carter took Prue's offered hand with a firm grasp.  
  
"So what is your interest in that patient, if I may ask?"  
  
"Well, you see, he was found behind my sister's bar and we were kind of wondering if it had anything to do with her business."  
  
"Oh I see… all I can really tell you is that we found nothing physically wrong with that man. However, he had total amnesia. He wasn't very cooperative either. He kept saying that he didn't know who he was or what happened to him except that he needed to go somewhere."  
  
Prue questioned further:  
  
"If he didn't remember anything, how could he have known where to go?"  
  
Dr Carter replied with a little smile:  
  
"That was my point exactly, but he said that he saw it in a dream."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Anyhow, we believed that he might've been a patient who escaped from another facility, but there was no record of this anywhere in the city. Moreover, even with what he was saying, he didn't seem to be unstable, just a little confused."  
  
Prue seemed already lost in thoughts even as she added:  
  
"I guess it's understandable given the amnesia."  
  
"I suppose… at any rate, he left about an hour ago against my advice. The police didn't even get to question him because he left before they arrived. And as far as your concerns go I don't think it had anything to do with your sister's bar. He didn't have a single drop of alcohol or any drug in his system. A real puzzle…"  
  
"Thank you doctor," Prue uttered, as she shook his hand again before taking her leave.  
  
Outside the hospital doors, her cell phone started ringing and she turned it on while walking toward the car.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Prue where are you?" Piper immediately asked.  
  
"I was just at the hospital. They didn't know much about the man from last night except that he lost his memory for unknown reasons and also that he left the hospital against the doctor's advice."  
  
"Was he hurt?"  
  
"Not according to the doctor. He wasn't drunk either or anything like that."  
  
"Stranger and stranger…" Piper trailed.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Last night the bartender said that he saw a bright flash of light in the back and the lights dimmed inside the bar. Yet, there was no noise and everything went back to normal right away. I almost scolded him for not checking out if there was something wrong, but I'm beginning to think that it might be our kind of problem after all."  
  
"Maybe you're right. But we can't do much about it right now since I have no idea where that man went. Maybe we should meet back at the house and call for Leo. Who knows, maybe he knows something or he can ask the Elders?"  
  
"Ok, see you there. Bye!" Piper simply answered before hanging up.  
  
At the manor, Phoebe has fallen in an agitated sleep.  
  
'Sitting in the sunroom, she was distractedly flipping the pages of a book on her lap. Suddenly she looked up expectantly. Almost immediately, Cole came in the sunroom, smiling softly while Phoebe couldn't seem to move or talk. She just stayed there, staring as he approached. He stopped a few feet short and looked at her affectionately.  
  
"Don't worry anymore, Phoebe. Everything's gonna be just fine, I promise."  
  
Then Cole vanished, just as Phoebe found her voice and called his name.'  
  
She woke up with a start, vaguely realizing that her cheeks were wet with tears. She looked around as if to try to remember where she was. Then a sound caught her attention. She figured that the doorbell probably was what woke her up.  
  
Phoebe stood up slowly from the couch and warily made her way to the front door.  
  
Prue and Piper arrived almost simultaneously in front of the house and as they were parking in the street, Prue noticed a man at the door. From where she was, she couldn't see his face. She noticed his clothing however since those left a lot to be desired, almost as if he had shopped at the Salvation Army.  
  
She waited for Piper to rejoin her before they moved together toward the house. At that moment, Phoebe came at the door. They had almost reached the front steps when they heard a cry that could only have come from Phoebe. As they were about to hurry toward her, Leo orbed between them and the unknown visitor, imperatively gesturing for them to stop and keep quiet. They stopped right there, somewhat confused at Leo's action, but another look toward the door reawakened their anxiety as they saw their sister falling heavily into the stranger's arms.  
  
That was when they finally got a good look at the visitor and both of them could barely contain their surprise, as Leo reiterated his silent warning. There, very much alive, stood Cole, albeit an obviously very confused Cole, who didn't seem to know what to make of Phoebe's reaction. After making sure that Prue and Piper wouldn't say anything, he turned toward Cole and Phoebe, taking control of the situation. The sisters didn't object since Leo seemed to be the only one apprised of what was happening.  
  
He came closer to Cole and took Phoebe in his arms. Cole seemed relieved to get some help, but also very puzzled.  
  
"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened…she just passed out. Is she sick?"  
  
Cole asked anxiously.  
  
Increasingly confused, the sisters also went passed Cole to assist Leo and check up on their sister. She only seemed unconscious, but they were soon reassured that she hadn't been hurt. Prue still asked:  
  
"Is the baby all right?"  
  
Leo reassured her:  
  
"I'm sure he's just fine. Phoebe is simply very emotional these days," he added more for Cole's benefit than Prue's.  
  
Following Leo's advice, Piper was careful only to ask him the purpose of his visit to the manor.  
  
"Actually, that is my problem," Cole said enigmatically, "I don't really know… Other than the fact that I seemed to know how to get here, and also that I had the feeling all day I had to, I don't remember anything else. At all…"  
  
Piper felt silly. Altogether the whole situation was silly, but she still offered him to come in so they could discuss the matter more comfortably. Cole, grateful, accepted the invitation.  
  
Leo carried Phoebe upstairs to her bedroom after signaling to the girls that they should join him. Therefore, Piper offered a drink to Cole and asked him to wait for them in the living room. He hesitantly followed her, still apparently worried about Phoebe, as he watched Leo going upstairs with her. Once they were in the living room, Piper offered him a whisky and, as she was about to leave, he suddenly asked how she knew what he wanted…  
  
"Hem," Piper babbled, "Just a guess," she continued with a somewhat guilty smile.  
  
Cole watched her with a strange expression, but he finally sat and prepared to wait for their return, after Piper assured him that it shouldn't take too long.  
  
When she got to Phoebe's room, Piper immediately went to her sister's side to verify for her own that she was fine. Phoebe simply seemed asleep peacefully, so she turned toward Leo with a pointed stare.  
  
"What the hell's the matter here, Leo?"  
  
Leo closed the door before answering:  
  
"Well, hell may well be part of it, or rather not anymore."  
  
Prue insisted, as she was getting impatient.  
  
"Please Leo, try to make sense now!"  
  
Leo smiled happily.  
  
"Well let just say that the elders did it for you. They found a way to save him."  
  
"Leo! You mean they brought him back from the dead?" Piper exclaimed incredulously.  
  
Leo patiently explained:  
  
"You got a big favor from them. But they had to do some crafty work. First, he's no longer a demon…"  
  
The two sisters' jaws dropped in astonishment.  
  
Before they could interrupt, Leo pursued:  
  
"In order for him to atone for his past, the elders have granted him a new life, as a mortal. He's also a witch though, since he still has some powers. He doesn't know this however. No more than he remembers much of anything else right now.  
  
This brings me to the reason why I kept you quiet out there. The Elders warned me that he shouldn't be told about his past. They suggested letting him remember on his own. They think that the shock might be too overwhelming if you were to tell him now."  
  
Prue, back to her sarcastic self, chuckled: "Go figure why?"  
  
Just then Phoebe began moving and her eyes fluttered opened. She looked up at them in confusion. She was trying to remember what had happened but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Instinctively she touched her belly to reassure herself about the baby. Then she turned to the others questioningly.  
  
Looking at each of them in turn, she noticed their smiles, and the memory of the recent events came back flooding to her. A little hope started building inside her, as she waited silently for them to confirm what she thought that she knew.  
  
Guessing that Phoebe couldn't bring herself to ask the question, Prue came forward and nodded yes imperatively, while her smile brightened as she did so. Phoebe, still dazed, turned to Piper for some confirmation that she wasn't dreaming. This one smiled softly while nodding in acquiescence as well, and suddenly, all the emotions that Phoebe had kept bottled up inside until now overwhelmed her, as she began crying and laughing simultaneously. Her sisters came to sit by her side, and then they hugged her silently, as no word could express their feelings appropriately.  
  
After a moment, Leo reiterated his explanations for Phoebe's benefit and then continued:  
  
"The only problem is that there's a danger of retaliation from the Source. But on the bright side, He can't find Cole anymore since Cole's now fully human."  
  
Phoebe couldn't accept this as the only problem. She seemed very agitated when she exclaimed:  
  
"What about the fact that he doesn't remember our baby or me?"  
  
Leo smiled reassuringly:  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much about this, Phoebe. Nobody told him how to find this place, but he came here on his own."  
  
At this, Phoebe became very quiet, hugging herself and thoughtfully touching her unborn child.  
  
Leo again took the lead for the shaken sisters.  
  
"Well now that you know the essential, we should go back downstairs and try to convince Cole to stay a while, don't you think?"  
  
"Of course, let's go." Prue agreed right away.  
  
Prue, Piper and Leo were about to leave the room when Phoebe signaled to wait for her.  
  
"Are you sure? You might still need some rest." Prue asked, concerned anew.  
  
However, Phoebe firmly replied:  
  
"Nothing is gonna keep me here."  
  
The others gave her understanding smiles.  
  
In the living room, Cole was now pacing back and forth, trying to make sense of what was happening to him. From the moment he'd awakened on the gurney, that morning, he had been obsessed with coming to this house. All he could remember was a dream he was having just before waking up. In the dream, he was seeing himself getting to this house and, just as had happened earlier, being greeted by the same pregnant girl who lost consciousness when she saw him. This, of course, just added to his confusion. He also remembered that he had seen her somewhere else in the dream and told her not to worry anymore. What it was all about though, he couldn't figure out for the life of him.  
  
At hearing a commotion behind him, he turned to see the girls coming back into the living room, accompanied by the man who had carried the pregnant girl upstairs.  
  
Without knowing exactly why, he got the distinct feeling that he was among friends. Much more than this, he felt as if he'd come home.  
  
After a moment of awkward silence, Leo was the one who spoke, as he was also the one who knew everything about this strange situation.  
  
Therefore, when everybody had been seated, he commenced:  
  
"For starter we all want to welcome you here. As you may have understood already, we're aware of your situation. You were actually found behind a bar that belongs to Piper here," he said pointing to her as he was talking. My name is Leo, here is Prue and…"  
  
However, when he was about to introduce Phoebe, Cole finished for him instinctively. As Cole's eyes met Phoebe's, there seemed to be a hint of recognition in his expression. Then he told her directly:  
  
"You were in my dream."  
  
Hearing this, she gasped and had to repress the urge to run into his arms.  
  
Instead, she just said softly:  
  
"What kind of dream?"  
  
"I saw you at the door, same as earlier, and in the sunroom. There, for some reason I was telling you to stop worrying, that everything was gonna be fine. You smiled at me, then nothing. That's all I remember beside the fact that I knew how to come here."  
  
Phoebe smiled knowingly but just added:  
  
"Strange..."  
  
All the while, they were staring at each other, and Leo had to cough discreetly to break the moment in order to continue his explanation.  
  
"The girls and I would like you to stay here for a while."  
  
"Don't get me wrong," Cole replied hesitantly, "I'm grateful for the offer, but… why would you be willing to have a stranger come into your house," he asked while unable to keep the hint of suspicion from his voice.  
  
Prue intervened then:  
  
"Well let's just say we make a habit of helping people in need whenever we can… and also we feel somewhat responsible since you were found behind my bar," she added with an encouraging smile.  
  
"Well then, since I have nowhere else to go, I'll accept your offer. Thank you!"  
  
Then his gaze returned in Phoebe's direction. With a little intake of breath she said:  
  
"Maybe you would like to change clothes?" She hesitated a moment and pursued, "a friend of mine left many of his outfits here… and I think they should fit you perfectly."  
  
For a moment, his gaze went down to her stomach, probably having guessed that the word friend had been a euphemism. Then, a little embarrassed, he looked away, and instead of commenting on this, he excused his appearance, explaining that it was all the hospital had to offer. He left out the even more embarrassing part about his being found naked and without any identification whatsoever.  
  
Phoebe was already moving to stand up when he quickly came to her help. They both look intensely at each other when their hands touched. However, the moment passed quickly, and then she showed him the way to the guestroom while promising him to bring the clean outfits soon. Once they got to the guestroom, he watched Phoebe intensely for a moment, and then he smiled before closing the door, leaving Phoebe gasping for breath, and shaking with a mixture of joy and sadness.  
  
Prue offered to accompany her upstairs and she takes her Phoebe's arm, guessing that her sister might need steadying to go on. Phoebe, grateful, smiled at her gently. In her expression, Prue could now see the old Phoebe returning slowly. Her newfound happiness was a pleasure to look at.  
  
Phoebe came back by herself toward the guestroom and knocked on the door but she got no answer. With a pang of anxiety, she opened the door slowly and she exhaled deeply in relief when she realized that he had simply fallen asleep. He was lying on the bed with only the towel he put on after taking a shower. Phoebe couldn't resist approaching him and caressing his hair affectionately. She then deposited the clothes she brought along on a chair nearby.  
  
Still hardly believing that he was there, with her, when she had believed that he was gone for good, she smiled contentedly and whispered to her child: "see sweetie, Daddy's home…"  
  
Her smile brightened when she felt the baby moving, seemingly in response to the news or so she liked to imagine.  
  
Outside, it was already dark. On a nearby field, a sudden breeze rose rapidly. The wind picked up as a mini tornado seemed to be forming. The strange thing was that the phenomenon only occurred in a very focused area. Suddenly a blinding flash of red light literally exploded in the midst of the tornado, and all at once the micro storm stopped, albeit leaving behind Belthazor's demon form…  
  
In the Underworld, the Source chuckled at his own cleverness.  
  
"Well now they'll know that this game can be played both ways!" Then, with a hand signal and a sinister laughter, he dismissed his minions.  
  
End part I 


	2. The Deads are walking the Earth II

THE DEADS ARE WALKING THE EARTH.  
  
1 Part II  
  
  
  
It was a glorious morning at the Halliwell manor. The girls and Leo were at the table eating their breakfast and talking animatedly. Phoebe, who had been so quiet for a while, was now making plans for the day and smiled happily.  
  
Prue noticed:  
  
"Well Phoebe, it's good to see you so happy, I must say."  
  
Piper added:  
  
"It really is, Phoebe…for a while there, we thought you were a goner."  
  
Phoebe, a little cooled off, became more serious and said:  
  
"I'm so happy now… but I know I was a pain to all of you. I'm sorry."  
  
Prue extended her hands toward her and affectionately took Phoebe's in hers:  
  
"It's ok sweetie, we understood. But enough serious talk for now… You should be happy. That's all we need from you."  
  
The smile returned to Phoebe's lips. And so did her animation.  
  
"Ok then, what's the plan?"  
  
Leo and the others stared at her in puzzlement.  
  
Phoebe pursued for them:  
  
"How will I jug his memory? What else? I need my man back before he becomes a father and doesn't even know it."  
  
Leo, always the reasonable one, commented:  
  
"I don't think you should rush anything, Phoebe."  
  
Phoebe questioned impatiently:  
  
"What did the Elders say, exactly?"  
  
"Well they said, you know, just like doctors say. It could be sudden or it could take time. The bottom line is that they really aren't sure. They never faced such a situation before. The only thing they're sure about is that it should mostly come from him. The weight of those memories will still be a burden for him… demon or not, it's his past."  
  
Phoebe's mood darkened suddenly:  
  
"About the baby…" She hesitated a long moment.  
  
"Are they sure he's human."  
  
Leo uttered reassuringly:  
  
"I told you already. They're certain of it. You've got nothing to worry about anymore."  
  
Phoebe's smile returned timidly.  
  
"I know what you've told me… but for the last year, every time I've been happy something terrible has happened to destroy it. I don't think I can take much more of this."  
  
Prue was about to say something encouraging, but she stopped herself when she noticed Cole coming in.  
  
"Good morning!"  
  
At this, they all turned toward him at once, wondering if he heard any of what they'd said. However, Cole didn't give any sign of it, although he seemed perplexed and distracted. After a fashion, he responded to their good mornings, and then Piper offered to serve him breakfast.  
  
Once he was seated, Leo asked the question that was on everybody's lips.  
  
"Something the matter?"  
  
Cole answered in a somewhat sarcastic manner:  
  
"You mean, besides the fact that I can't even remember my name?"  
  
Then realizing he'd been too abrupt, he apologized and continued in a softer tone of voice, although no less perplexed:  
  
"This morning the strangest thing happened. I don't even know if I should tell you. You're all gonna say I'm crazy. I'm not even sure myself."  
  
Phoebe encouraged him to continue:  
  
"You can tell us. Don't worry we won't think anything like that."  
  
Cole gave her a dubious look.  
  
"Wait until you heard. Then, maybe you'll change your mind."  
  
No matter, he still told them what had happened,  
  
"Well, this morning I wanted to shave, but I couldn't find any shaving kit. I was about to ask you about it," Cole said while turning toward Phoebe again, "when I looked back and there it was…"  
  
Phoebe asked him in puzzlement:  
  
"What?"  
  
"The shaving kit! It had appeared on the counter, as if by magic …"  
  
The others exchanged concerned glances, but quickly caught themselves, as Leo whipped an explanation for Cole:  
  
"I'm sure that Phoebe brought the shaving kit at the same time as your clothes last night…didn't you Phoebe?"  
  
Phoebe replied precipitously:  
  
"Yes of course, you must've just missed it and then found it. No biggie."  
  
Cole eyed them both guardedly. Then he answered:  
  
"Yes… I suppose I might've… I mean, what other explanation could there be?"  
  
"None really," Phoebe responded a little too quickly again.  
  
Then she went on:  
  
"By the way, for your other concern, we think you do have a name now."  
  
He gave her a hopeful look.  
  
Phoebe handed him a wallet that she had kept in her bedroom, while telling him that the police found it at the scene after all.  
  
Again he seems very perplexed and somewhat suspicious as well.  
  
"Why would they give it to you?"  
  
Taken aback, Phoebe quickly thought about it and replied:  
  
"Well not to me… they gave it to Piper. When they showed it to her, she recognized your picture and told them that she'd take care of giving it back to you."  
  
Cole looked at Piper in turn with the same dubiousness.  
  
"The police just… gave it to you?"  
  
Piper was annoyed at having to lie, but she still went along:  
  
"Well we've got a friend who's a detective and he trusts us implicitly…"  
  
Cole was not entirely convinced still, but he decided to drop it for the time being. He still added:  
  
"I see…"  
  
Opening the wallet, he simply stated his name unemotionally:  
  
"Cole Turner."  
  
Phoebe questioned eagerly:  
  
"Does that ring a bell?"  
  
"Not at all! I recognize the picture, but I feel like I'm looking into a stranger's personal stuff."  
  
Phoebe couldn't help showing some disappointment at this. However, again she repressed her worries to say: "No matter, I'm sure you'll remember soon..."  
  
Later in the sunroom, Phoebe and Cole were alone and he turned toward her hesitantly.  
  
"There was something else I didn't mention this morning. Somehow I thought I could talk to you about it."  
  
Immediately alerted, Phoebe questioned:  
  
"Yes, anything!"  
  
"So here goes… this morning I got another strange dream…"  
  
  
  
"And?"  
  
"Well," Cole pursued uneasily, "I found myself in a field, as if looking through someone else's eyes. You know like I was there but not myself."  
  
Phoebe simply nodded in acquiescence and kept silent.  
  
"Then I felt the rage that this other person felt," Cole continued. "It was overwhelming. Then, we, it's the only way I can describe it, moved off the field and we found ourselves looking at this very house. It happened like in a flash. I couldn't remember walking there… but of course, you know how dreams are. As we were watching this place, his rage became totally focused on the people inside. I felt such disgust… more than this, it scared me somewhat. I think that's what woke me up."  
  
Unable to contain her emotions, Phoebe stood up abruptly and turned away from him, trying to hide her true feelings from Cole. Nevertheless it didn't fool him.  
  
"I'm sorry, I've obviously upset you."  
  
Regaining her control at great efforts, Phoebe looked back with a reassuring expression, while inwardly she was still filled with dread.  
  
"No, it's not you. You know pregnant women," she added with a weak smile; "we're all emotional about little things."  
  
Cole appeared to accept this, so Phoebe continued:  
  
"I must say… that was a strange dream. But maybe it's just frustration you're feeling that expressed itself in a nightmare?"  
  
Cole was still unsure but he answered non-commitally:  
  
"I suppose."  
  
Then he hesitated a moment longer, as if about to ask something. He had apparently dismissed it, but Phoebe saw his hesitation and she questioned him about it.  
  
"Was there something else?"  
  
"Well, it's a little personal, and I don't wanna intrude…  
  
His response confused Phoebe.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Well," Cole hesitated some more, then he blurted:  
  
"Where's the father?" He was staring at her belly while asking this and then he looked up quickly before adding:  
  
"If you don't wanna talk about it, I'll understand."  
  
"It's alright, he…. He left me a short while ago… for reasons out of his control." Phoebe added defensively when she saw his expression darkening.  
  
Cole stared at her uncertainly for a few more seconds, and then he said:  
  
"I'm sorry again, I don't know why, but I needed to ask you this. It's one more of those impulses I can't understand," he said sheepishly.  
  
Phoebe reassured him while a sweet smile spread her lips:  
  
"That's ok, I don't mind. It doesn't seem as bad now as it did then." Phoebe could hardly contain herself.  
  
He extended his hand toward her almost instinctively.  
  
"May I?"  
  
She answered softly:  
  
"Of course!" Then she took a step toward him, closing the gap between them.  
  
The moment he touched her, the baby seemed to jump inside her. This brought a bright smile on Phoebe's face, and as she looked up, she could see that Cole had sensed it as well and had a similar reaction. He felt a peace that he had not really expected.  
  
Time seemed suspended, and for a moment they leaned toward each other as if they were about to kiss. However, Cole pulled back suddenly with embarrassment, breaking the moment.  
  
Without a word, he let his hand falling to his side and went passed her toward the window.  
  
As she found herself facing away from him, Phoebe let her disappointment show, as she felt tears coming again. However, she quickly regained her countenance and went to him, stopping a few feet behind him. He was looking out and breathing a little too fast.  
  
Phoebe finally asked:  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You're going to think it's stupid… but for a moment there I was jealous of that man."  
  
This startled Phoebe and she opened her mouth to say something but he didn't give her the chance.  
  
"I mean," Cole pursued quickly, "we don't know each other…I mean except for those dreams…and I have no right to judge…"  
  
Phoebe interrupted warily:  
  
"Just what are you talking about?"  
  
Cole turned halfway toward her, obviously still embarrassed and nervous.  
  
"Your child's father…the fact that he left you… it also makes me angry.  
  
I know that's weird. But I just can't imagine why he would've left you. I couldn't have."  
  
Phoebe's features softened considerably and she smiled knowingly:  
  
"Like I told you, he didn't have a choice then, but," and then, she hesitated only slightly, "I've got a feeling that he'll be back soon."  
  
When he wasn't answering she added regretfully:  
  
"I've got to have a talk with my sisters about something. Would you like to take a drive later? Who knows… maybe seeing something familiar could trigger your memories?"  
  
Distractedly, he nodded in the affirmative and Phoebe went on her way.  
  
The moment she had left, he stared the way she had gone with an intense longing, even though he believed that he shouldn't.  
  
In the kitchen, Phoebe found her sisters relaxing. She didn't give them a moment to think and began talking animatedly.  
  
"I think we've got a problem."  
  
Prue and Piper were immediately alerted, while Phoebe continued.  
  
"I've got to talk to Leo first."  
  
Then she proceeded to call for Leo without waiting for her sisters' consensus.  
  
Almost immediately, Leo orbed in as if he had expected her call.  
  
Without even asking why they did, he uttered anxiously:  
  
"Something's wrong."  
  
"I was just about to tell you the same thing. Me first, ok?"  
  
Phoebe didn't even give him the time to agree before she added:  
  
"I think that Cole's been having visions of something evil lurking around the house."  
  
They all turned toward her at once, giving her their full attention.  
  
"He told me that he had a very disturbing dream last night… where he sensed he was inside someone else, and that person was feeling pure hatred for us.  
  
He didn't see who that was, but he was certain that we were the objects of his rage."  
  
Prue couldn't help questioning somberly:  
  
"Are you sure that he wasn't talking about himself?"  
  
Phoebe exploded angrily:  
  
"PRUE!"  
  
Leo got their attention by uttering firmly:  
  
"Stop you two!"  
  
Then, he went on more soberly:  
  
"I think that my news is very much related to yours, Phoebe. The Elders have received some disturbing info. When they separated Cole from his demon form, they left the demon intact where he was… now it'd seem that the Source figured out what they did and went one up on them."  
  
The three women didn't need more to understand the implication of this revelation. This combined with Cole's strange connection to the evil, which was coming their way, sufficed to convince them that they were facing a new crisis.  
  
Leo continued after he saw that the news sank in:  
  
"The Elders suggested that you prepared the vanquishing potion on the double. They're convinced that Belthazor won't wait very long before he attacks. Without his human side to guide him, they think he's gonna use brute force rather than subtlety… and the worse part is that we don't even know which powers he retained during the separation."  
  
About this, Phoebe had an idea:  
  
"From what Cole told me of his vision, I think he's the one who can shimmer…"  
  
Leo became more agitated at this, his eyes darting around nervously.  
  
"That means he could be here at any moment." He added uselessly, as the girls had surmised as much with dread.  
  
They all looked around anxiously while half expecting to see the demon showing up right then and there.  
  
Leo shook them out of it when he added:  
  
"One more thing, they suggested we keep Cole and Belthazor away from each other. Their encounter might have unexpected results."  
  
Phoebe responded with more assurance:  
  
"I'm way ahead of you. If you two can prepare for the demon," she told Piper and Prue, "I've already arranged a drive around town with Cole. I suggested it to help him remember, but it'd work out fine to get him away from here, wouldn't it?"  
  
"Yes you're right," Leo approved, "it's a good idea. But maybe we shouldn't lose any more time."  
  
Nodding in the affirmative, they all went to their respective tasks.  
  
Later, while Piper and Prue were hard at work on the potion:  
  
"Oh god, I have a bad feeling about all this." Piper said as she threw an ingredient in the cauldron and the mixture flared.  
  
"So do I," Prue answered in an unaccustomed worried manner. "That demon just keeps coming back to us one way or the other. I'm beginning to think he's gonna be the end of us."  
  
"Prue, you're scaring me," Piper exclaimed while eyeing her sister anxiously. "You're usually so confident. I rely on you to give me courage, not Goosebumps."  
  
"You must admit it's uncanny how every time we think that he's dead or gone for good, he chooses that moment to show up."  
  
"I know, I know… All the more reason to hurry preparing this potion," Piper added nervously. "Who knows, this time might be the charmed?" She said again in an attempt at humor, "No pun intended."  
  
Neither one laughed however… instead, they both redoubled their efforts.  
  
In the car, Phoebe was at the wheel, while trying her very best to keep Cole in the dark about her worries. Nevertheless, he finally let her know that she wasn't succeeding when he asked:  
  
"Phoebe, is something the matter?"  
  
Innocently enough, she answered:  
  
"No…why?"  
  
"Ever since we left the house, you barely said two words and you're constantly looking around as if you were expecting something to happen at any moment."  
  
Phoebe gave him an annoyed look then. He'd always known how to read her like a book.  
  
Cole asked:  
  
"Does it have anything to do with what I told you this morning?"  
  
Alerted, Phoebe questioned:  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
Cole hesitated:  
  
"Well… just as we were leaving the house, I got the feeling that somebody was observing us. It was very fleeting, but for an instant I felt just like in my dream."  
  
Hearing this sent a chill down Phoebe' spine and she decided to throw caution to the wind. She was now convinced that Belthazor might very well have been waiting for Cole to go out before making his move. Although she feared what might happen to Cole, she also had to think of her sisters, who might very well need the power of three soon in order to finally vanquish the demon.  
  
Without a word of explanation to her passenger, she turned at the next intersection and set out to return home.  
  
In front of the manor, in a shadowed hiding place, Belthazor had observed the car going away with mixed feelings. He had also felt the strange duality. However, unlike Cole, he knew exactly what it was. Now that he had finally gotten rid of his weak human side, the demon felt stronger than ever. His rage at those people was only equaled by the desire for revenge on Cole himself. He was convinced that his former human half had saddled him all his life and made him not only weak, but also an outcast in his own world.  
  
  
  
When he had sensed the human grasp on him, and even if had only been for a fleeting moment, it had exacerbated his rage anew. He was now even more determined to get his revenge as he observed the Manor for signs of trouble.  
  
When he was certain that he could safely make his move, he started slowly toward the house. Belthazor was still wary of a trap, as these witches had often thwarted him, even when Cole was there with all his smarts to make the plans. Still, seeing nothing suspicious however, he shimmered out and reappeared in the dark living room. He stood there for a moment, listening to the noises coming from the kitchen. No one seemed to have noticed his arrival.  
  
He was about to go toward the kitchen when a sound coming from the street stopped him.  
  
A car was coming to a halt and he almost immediately felt the now familiar sensation that alerted him to Cole's presence nearby. Instinctively, he threw himself against the wall and lied in wait…  
  
Outside, Cole stopped short in the driveway. Phoebe turned toward him in wonderment. Before she could ask him about it, he whispered warily:  
  
"It's here."  
  
"What is?"  
  
As she was awaiting his response, she noticed the change in his expression. He appeared intensely surprised at first, and then he soon became horrified.  
  
Inside Cole's mind, a wall had just been shattered. All his memories were flooding back, starting with his father being killed in front of him all those years ago, with visions of horrible crimes that he committed, the thoughts of which made him sick to his stomach. He remembered his deal with the Source, the witches, Phoebe. The latter finished flooring him "Oh Phoebe." Tears ran down his cheeks at this point.  
  
This more than anything else had Phoebe fearing for him. Cole was now shivering all over and he let himself fall to the ground heavily. Head down, he seemed crushed under an unbelievable weight until the memory of his death returned. At that moment, he uttered a weak:  
  
"How?"  
  
With a shaky voice, Phoebe asked:  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was dead. I AM dead. I can't be here!"  
  
Phoebe wanted to tell him all, but her worries about Belthazor were more pressing at the moment:  
  
"Cole, I don't have time to explain now. If we don't act, he's gonna kill us all."  
  
Cole fought the urge to fall back to the ground while questioning:  
  
"Who will kill us?"  
  
Seeing that he didn't understand, Phoebe replied pointedly:  
  
"You!"  
  
At first, he just stared at her with a blank expression. Then he felt the pang of anger again coursing through him, and he finally understood. Not losing any more time, he got up, grabbed Phoebe's arm and pushed her toward the back of the house.  
  
Phoebe protested but he told her that Belthazor was waiting for them in the front. They came rushing through the back door and they found Piper and Prue putting the last touch to the potion, thankfully unharmed. The sisters did not bother to ask what was happening as it was pretty obvious that something has changed in Cole's attitude. They could also very much surmise that it had to do with his other half.  
  
Cole simply said:  
  
"Be prepared, he's coming."  
  
The girls rapidly huddled and started reciting the spell that would bind the potion. However, before they could complete the chant, the door seemed to explode inwardly and Belthazor entered the kitchen. For what seemed like an eternity, but really only lasted a few seconds, both sides observed the other. Cole moved slowly in front of the girls as Belthazor was growling at him. They all seemed to be waiting to see who was gonna make the first move. This hesitation almost cost Cole his life as the demon suddenly attacked and threw an energy ball in his direction. Prue managed to deflect the fireball just in time, while Cole sent a lightning bolt at the demon, which hit him in the chest. Indeed the demon was thrown back toward the hallway, but he was barely affected by the hit. He started toward the kitchen almost immediately and when the sisters understood that it was now or never, they quickly finished the chant that they had started.  
  
Instinctively Cole stepped away from the cauldron, as he was suddenly aware that it might have an effect on him as well. The demon attacked again, this time in the direction of the sisters, who plunged behind the counter in the nick of time. Seeing that he finally had a slight advantage, Cole jumped at the demon and threw him against the wall.  
  
Belthazor lost his balance and fell hard to the floor.  
  
Cole then screamed to the witches:  
  
"Now!" Then he stepped back in a hurry, even as Prue tkd the whole potion over the demon. For an instant, it seemed that he would successfully escape, as he began shimmering, but to no avail. He soon was engulfed in a ball of flames and thankfully burned up for good this time. Or so they really hoped…  
  
At the same time Cole felt an intense heat coursing through him, and then it just stopped. He took a few deep breaths, barely believing that they were all ok.  
  
Prue finally uttered:  
  
"Well this time, there was no mistake!" She cast a knowing look toward Phoebe, and then Cole. Phoebe was about to reply but she stopped herself and smiled warily.  
  
Meanwhile, Cole was still staring at the smoldering rests of his former half, trying to figure out if he has any feeling on the matter.  
  
Then he realized something that had not occurred to him until that moment.  
  
To no one in particular, he asked:  
  
"Since when do mortals have powers?"  
  
Leo, who was just orbing, was also the one to answer:  
  
"It's true that you're human now, but you're also a witch."  
  
On Cole's face was a mix of total surprise and incredulity.  
  
After a moment he just said:  
  
"I'm gonna need a little time alone." Then he turned his back on them and went out without another word.  
  
The sisters look at each other with some apprehension at first, but then they remembered what had just happened. Piper and Prue smiled first, then Leo. Phoebe gave a long look toward the door but she stayed with them and simply listened to their victory banter.  
  
After a little while and a lot of cleaning, Prue noticed that Phoebe was again watching the door and getting more anxious for each moment that passed.  
  
"Phoebe?"  
  
"Yes," Phoebe answered distractedly.  
  
"He's gonna be ok, you'll see."  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
Then Phoebe pursued:  
  
"It was one thing to reject his old ways for me, but now to have become the hunted himself…"  
  
"You know," Prue replied, "I don't want you to think that I resent him or anything… it's in the past now. But he did do a lot of terrible things. And making him a witch was most probably the best way to have him atone for these."  
  
"He looked so upset, Prue…I just hope that he'll see it that way…and not just as a cruel joke on him."  
  
"Do you want me to scry for him? Now that he's a witch, I'd probably find him."  
  
"No need, he'll come back to me."  
  
Then she stopped her watch and helped Prue finish the cleaning. 


	3. The Thin Line between Love and Hate

1 THE LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE  
  
2 Or part of "The Deads are walking the earth"  
  
  
  
At the Manor's door, Piper was preparing to go to the club and looked up impatiently. She called:  
  
"Leo, Prue! I'm waiting!"  
  
From the top of the stairs, Prue called back:  
  
"One moment…Be a little patient, will you!"  
  
Piper uttered an annoyed growl but settled down to wait nevertheless.  
  
Upstairs, Prue knocked on Phoebe's door.  
  
"Phoebe," she called.  
  
Phoebe answered flatly.  
  
"Come in."  
  
Prue opened the door to find Phoebe lying on her bed. She was watching her favorite movie for the millionth time, a tissue in her hand.  
  
"Come on Phoebe, you got to stop this. Come with us. It'll do you good."  
  
Phoebe peeled her eyes from the screen and cast a sad glance toward her sister.  
  
"Oh Prue, I really don't feel like having fun. Not at all!"  
  
However, Prue insisted:  
  
"You have to get out of the house… anyway you need some air.  
  
What you're doing is not good for you or the baby."  
  
Phoebe just shook her head, dismissing her sister's concerns.  
  
Prue went on anyway:  
  
"No, I won't let you wither away like that. You're coming with us."  
  
Then, without waiting for an answer, she went to her sister and pulled her in a sitting position.  
  
This time, Phoebe didn't resist but showed little enthusiasm.  
  
Prue continued firmly:  
  
"You've got to get over it. It's been 3 weeks, Phoebe and he has not given any sign.  
  
Maybe it's all for the best."  
  
This brought back some fire in Phoebe's eyes.  
  
"I see that you've already assumed the worst. What if he got hurt?" Then, after a moment of hesitation, she added, "or worse…"  
  
"And what if Leo's right? What if the shock of his memory returning pushed him over the edge? Even before this happened we always knew that it was a risk."  
  
Phoebe replied pleadingly:  
  
"Prue, I won't accept that. At least not until I see it for myself."  
  
Prue paused a long moment, while watching her sister uncertainly. Then she tried to reason with her in a soft voice:  
  
"You know? That might turn really bad if it's what happened. As a warlock he might just wanna take the baby and your powers."  
  
However, seeing the pain in her sister's eyes, she quickly offered:  
  
"I might be wrong though. And at any rate, we don't know for sure, so there's no point dwelling on this."  
  
Phoebe smiled at her sadly but then she pushed herself up.  
  
"Ok, I'll go with you."  
  
"Great! But then you've better hurry up cause Piper's gonna have a nervous breakdown if we don't leave soon."  
  
At this, Phoebe's smile brightened somewhat, as she hurried toward her closet.  
  
"Ok then, we'll wait for you downstairs." She went out of the room after giving Phoebe a little pat of encouragement on the back.  
  
Meeting with Leo at the top of the stairs, she gave him the news.  
  
"Good for you," Leo exclaimed happily, "I was starting to worry. She really needs a change of scenery."  
  
"You said it!"  
  
At the door, Piper was becoming impatient and she called again:  
  
"Guys… what's keeping you?"  
  
Prue waited until she reached her before telling her about Phoebe, which immediately calmed her down.  
  
A few minutes later they were all outside descending the driveway.  
  
Further down the road, Cole was observing them with an inscrutable expression.  
  
"Well I guess I'm gonna have to wait to find you alone. So be it," he said harshly.  
  
"There's still plenty of time." He lips expanded in a joyless smile and he blinked out.  
  
The next morning, Prue and Phoebe were in the kitchen and Prue asked her sister:  
  
"So how are you this morning?"  
  
Phoebe seemed more alert already.  
  
"Better now, you were right I did need an upper."  
  
Prue smiled softly, and then added:  
  
"I'm glad. We were all getting worried about you."  
  
"I don't know… I think I've gone crazy yet again because of him. He really has that effect on me."  
  
"Phoebe I know that you love him, but he really messes up badly with your emotions. I just wish…"  
  
Phoebe replied quickly.  
  
"Me too." They exchanged understanding smiles, and then Phoebe said:  
  
"Somehow I'm sure he'll be back soon and all will become clear…"  
  
In the underworld, in some kind of a dark throne room, The Source uttered in a deep voice:  
  
"I can feel him again."  
  
One of his minions turned toward the Source and questioned politely:  
  
"Who's that, my Liege?"  
  
"Belthazor, or rather Cole, as he is called now."  
  
The minion couldn't dissimulate his surprise.  
  
"And what is it you're getting from him?"  
  
The Source turned to the minion and with a cruel smile he said:  
  
"The delightful smell of evil is all around him."  
  
"If he is, we might get him back and finish him for you…"  
  
However, the Source added quickly:  
  
"No, he may yet bring me what I crave." And then with a wicked smile he went on:  
  
"If he does, I'll forgive him."  
  
The minion's perplexed look deepened:  
  
"You would?"  
  
The Source:  
  
"If he kills those witches, I'll give him a swift death instead of the torture he so deserves."  
  
Then he utters a chilling laugh.  
  
Back at the manor, Prue and Piper were talking about the previous night, but Prue changed the subject abruptly:  
  
"Piper, I know this will upset you but I really think we should talk about this."  
  
"Talk about what?"  
  
"The Cole situation."  
  
"I don't know what's there to discuss," Piper protested mildly, but she had the look of someone who knew where this was going.  
  
"If Leo is right…"  
  
Piper interrupted.  
  
"He might be wrong too, you know?"  
  
Prue insisted:  
  
"What if he isn't? We've got to be prepared for the worse…There's a possibility that the shock of his returning memory brought back evil in him, you know that."  
  
"I so hope not for Phoebe's sake."  
  
"So do I, but we can't ignore the possibility. It's too dangerous. Who knows what he might do?"  
  
Piper sighed deeply before answering:  
  
"I know, I know… So what do you suggest?"  
  
"I took the liberty to prepare a vanquishing spell, just in case."  
  
Piper was stunned.  
  
"Without consulting us?"  
  
"I couldn't risk waiting any longer, and I knew you wouldn't be thrilled at the idea either."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"I need you to tell me if it sounds right, since I'm not the expert at this…" Prue said while handing Piper a piece of paper with her handwriting.  
  
Piper hesitated slightly but picked it up and began reading aloud:  
  
"From darkness you came,  
  
Into light you were greeted,  
  
If dark again you became,  
  
Suffer the fate of the wicked"  
  
Piper looked up at Prue with a pained expression:  
  
"I guess it'll do, but how are you going to convince Phoebe?"  
  
"She's gonna have to see that this might be the only way for us to be safe, and for the baby as well."  
  
Piper watched Prue dubiously, but decided to leave it at that.  
  
Prue pocketed the paper just in time since Phoebe was coming their way. She had a wobbly walk, since her pregnancy was almost to term by then, and she was feeling the weight more than ever.  
  
"Prue? Wanna give me a ride to school?"  
  
Piper seemed surprised:  
  
"You wanna go to school now?"  
  
"Well the teachers don't care that I might actually give birth during the finales," Phoebe answered with a little smile. "All they care about are the test results."  
  
"If you say so… wait a second, I'll find my keys." Prue said before going out of the room.  
  
Piper could barely face her sister as she felt terribly guilty.  
  
Phoebe noticed her sister unease.  
  
"What is it, Piper?"  
  
"Oh nothing, it's just… are you sure it's safe for you to be alone? Maybe one of us should stay with you. If only to drive you to the hospital in case you're right about the baby," Piper added lightly.  
  
Phoebe accepted her explanation:  
  
"Oh… I'll be ok. Nothing'll happen while I'm in school."  
  
Then dismissing her sister's concerns she continued:  
  
"And I was joking about the baby. I still have a full three weeks left even if now, I wish it was less. It's really starting to be tough on me."  
  
At this moment, Prue returned with her keys and they both went out the door after saying their good-byes. Piper stared at her sisters as they departed, while a deep concern crept on her features now that Phoebe wasn't looking anymore.  
  
Outside and from beside the house, Cole was observing the sisters leaving. Then he blinked out and reappeared in Phoebe's bedroom.  
  
He hesitated somewhat while looking around. Tentatively, he walked toward the bed where he picked up Phoebe's nightgown. Almost trembling he brought the garment to his face and smelled it almost hungrily. For a moment, he seemed in infinite pain, but soon his face hardened.  
  
He then uttered under his breath:  
  
"You betrayed me, witch. I'll never forgive you for that."  
  
He threw the nightgown back on the bed at this point.  
  
"Soon." he added with a cruel smile. Then he blinked out again.  
  
Prue arrived at the school to pick up Phoebe, just as this one was walking out,  
  
"Hey Phoebe, how was the test?"  
  
Phoebe climbed heavily into the car.  
  
"It was murder. I heard that being pregnant made you smarter, but that must be everybody else," she answered comically.  
  
"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."  
  
"Well, I sure hope not, because if it is, I'll never get out of school."  
  
Then her mood darkened again.  
  
"Anyway let's go home… I'm so tired, and I really need a nap."  
  
Prue worried about her change of attitude, but she still thought that resting was the best solution.  
  
"Yes that's a good idea." She told Phoebe then, before putting the car in gear.  
  
When they got home, Phoebe didn't lose time, and went directly to her bedroom while Prue stayed behind.  
  
A strange and indefinable malaise invaded Phoebe as she came into her bedroom. She looked at the bed uncertainly, while trying to remember how she'd left the nightgown, but just couldn't remember exactly and she went to pick it up. The moment she touched it, a terrible vision engulfed her.  
  
She was in her bedroom late at night, and Cole was standing over her with a knife, with an enraged expression. He lifted up the knife and, as he was about to strike, the vision stopped.  
  
Phoebe sat on the bed heavily, shaking. For a long moment she couldn't seem to react.  
  
Prue, who was coming to check up on her, was immediately alarmed by the frightened look her sister harbored.  
  
"Phoebe, are you ok?" She asked anxiously.  
  
Phoebe was unable to answer. Her eyes were bright with repressed tears and she suddenly let her head drop into her hands in obvious despair.  
  
Prue insisted, now frightened herself.  
  
"Phoebe, what's wrong? You're scaring me?" As she was sitting by her sister's side, she wrapped her arms around her.  
  
Finally, Phoebe manages to utter:  
  
"Leo was right. He's coming for me."  
  
Prue shuddered, as she understood what was happening.  
  
She tried to get Phoebe to talk:  
  
"You had a vision?"  
  
Phoebe whispered in a strangled voice.  
  
"Yes." Then she couldn't say more.  
  
Prue questioned again:  
  
"What did you see?"  
  
Phoebe was about to describe the vision, when her eyes caught sight of the nightgown again and an idea flashed into her mind.  
  
Prue noticed her change of attitude right away and she asked:  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Prue I don't think that he wants to hurt me."  
  
Puzzled, Prue let her continue.  
  
"He came here somehow and touched something I was sure to use soon. He's reaching out, Prue, I'm sure of it."  
  
Prue immediately became suspicious.  
  
"You can't be serious, Phoebe. You just saw him about to hurt you!"  
  
Phoebe pleaded with her.  
  
"But in my vision he didn't, at least it didn't get that far…The man who loves me is still there, inside him. I can't give up on him."  
  
Prue understood where this was going:  
  
"Phoebe I can't let you risk your life on a hunch. What if you're wrong?"  
  
Phoebe stared at Prue strangely.  
  
"Anyway, it didn't happen here… so as long as I stay in the house, I'll be safe," she lied.  
  
Prue remained unconvinced but still decided to trust her sister.  
  
"Well, now is as good a time as ever. I know you're not gonna like it… but your vision confirmed my worst fears."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I concocted a vanquishing spell just in case this would happen."  
  
Phoebe turned as astounded stare toward her sister.  
  
"Prue you don't intend to…" but she couldn't finish the thought, as even this was too painful.  
  
"We may not have a choice, Phoebe! And don't you think that the man who loved you would've wanted you to be safe, no matter the cost?"  
  
Phoebe gave another enigmatic glance at her sister, and then she seemed to make up her mind.  
  
"I guess that you're right… maybe that's really what he wants…"  
  
Prue eyed her sister with even more suspicion, but decided against arguing right then and she left her to go have a talk with Piper and Leo.  
  
She found them both in the kitchen, and quickly filled them in on the latest development. Piper has a horrified look on her face at the news. Leo is saddened but not overly surprised.  
  
Then Prue continued with what truly worried her:  
  
"Piper, I think that Phoebe's about to do something really stupid…"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I don't think I convinced her of the gravity of the situation.  
  
I'm afraid that she's still gonna try to save him."  
  
"Even after this premonition?"  
  
"She loves him so much, Piper, it blinds her."  
  
Piper made herself the devil's advocate:  
  
"And are you so sure that she's wrong?"  
  
Prue replied with a movement of annoyance:  
  
"It doesn't really matter now. We can't risk it. Our sister could die, and then where would we be? To become a Warlock, which I'm afraid he has, he had to make the choice. We know that…"  
  
Piper looked down at this, resigned.  
  
When she was satisfied that she at least got Piper and Leo's mitigated approval, Prue went on:  
  
"We can't leave anything to chance. I had an idea.  
  
First of all, I've got to be sure that you won't tell Phoebe."  
  
Piper caved reluctantly:  
  
"All right… but what are you planning to do?"  
  
"We're going to put a spell on a crystal to detect any blinking in or near Phoebe's bedroom. We'll have to take watch tonight and until we're sure that nothing is gonna happen."  
  
Piper glanced sadly at her sister but she acquiesced:  
  
"I guess that's a plan."  
  
Then they both went to the attic to prepare the trap.  
  
Later that day, Prue reentered Phoebe's bedroom under the pretense of checking up on her. And although she did too, she also surreptitiously planted the crystal in a corner, out of sight.  
  
During dinner time, Phoebe was very quiet, pushing her food around under the worried look of her sisters.  
  
"Phoebe you should talk to us about it." Piper tried.  
  
Phoebe barely looked up before answering:  
  
"About what?"  
  
Piper stared at her with an appalled expression.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about! You can't just keep it to yourself, Phoebe. You'll just make yourself sick."  
  
Phoebe simply dismissed her sister's concern.  
  
"I don't really wanna talk about it."  
  
Piper sighed as she couldn't think of anything to say just then.  
  
After a long moment of charged silence, Phoebe finally pushed her plate away, still almost filled, and got up while announcing that she was going to bed early.  
  
The others just said goodnight and they watched her going with even more concerned expressions.  
  
Piper announced that she'd take the first watch and went to the attic, intent on reading some to kill time.  
  
In an attempt to relieve the tension, Prue chastised her sister before she left, saying that she was doing it on purpose, so that she wouldn't have to do the dishes. Piper and Leo tried to laugh but the heart wasn't in it.  
  
As they were going to each their tasks, Phoebe was entering her bedroom with a hint of apprehension. No matter what she'd told her sisters or what she felt in her heart must be true; there was still the chance that she was wrong. She had spent the afternoon turning it into her mind. If it were only she that she had to worry about, she wouldn't have hesitated so much… but she also had to think of her child. Still, she finally convinced herself that Cole couldn't; he wouldn't hurt her… This is why in spite of her apprehensions; she still prepared to wait for him.  
  
Later that night, Prue entered the attic to take over the watch. The crystal had not glowed, not even flickered, as Piper told her. Prue wondered if she has been wrong but she still couldn't risk ignoring her gut feeling. She then settled down for her own watch.  
  
It was around midnight and Cole blinked outside the Manor observing the house for signs of activity. When he found none, he materialized a ritual knife in his hand. Feeling the knife, he seemingly tried to imagine himself doing the killing. In his mind, he could see the fear in Phoebe's eyes, and he suddenly felt a pang of remorse. Nevertheless, he tried very hard to reject his doubts, remembering what he figured they took away from him. Ever since the day his memory had come back, he had been confused and fighting between his desire to be good and the seductive temptation of evil's freedom. Or at least, that is how he seemed to remember it. He felt that killing what he has loved would free him completely and put an end to his struggle.  
  
He reaffirmed his hold on the knife and blinked out of sight. The moment he reappeared in Phoebe's room, he knew she'd been waiting for him. Instead of the scream he'd expected, she called his name, pleading with him to reconsider. Nevertheless, he continued to advance on her menacingly.  
  
In the attic, the crystal was glowing, but Prue had dozed off and did not realize the danger. After a few moments, her head dropped toward the book she had been reading and she woke up with a start.  
  
She wiped her eyes sleepily with the back of her hand while trying to focus, as she still felt groggy. But then, she caught sight of the crystal and jumped off the chair running out and toward Piper's bedroom to alert her.  
  
Meanwhile, Cole was still advancing on Phoebe. In his eyes, she could only see determination. So she talked to him again, trying once more to get through to him.  
  
"Cole you have to remember how happy we were, even when you were a demon, you told me that you never wanted to be evil again. Can't you remember that?"  
  
For a moment he seemed to hesitate, on his face she could read the signs of his struggle, so she went on insistently:  
  
"You know that I love you, Cole. Please don't destroy us. Think of our child. You were so protective of him! I can't believe that you really want to do this. Stop, please!"  
  
His hand was shaking and he tried to steady it, as he replied:  
  
"Stop talking witch, it won't save you." However, something had changed already. Cole seemed to be trying to convince himself more than she… He wasn't moving anymore and instead, stared at the hand holding the knife.  
  
The anger that had been present until then receded to leave only a deep shame inside him. He finally whispered:  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" And then, Cole stepped back, moving away from her as if scared of himself. Phoebe was about to go after him when the door exploded inwardly, tkd by Prue. She entered decisively and, seeing the knife in Cole's hand, didn't hesitate to send him flying into a wall where he crashed rudely and then fell to the floor. He screamed in pain, but was already struggling to get up. When he saw Piper coming behind Prue, he prepared to blink out, but she was quicker and froze him just in time.  
  
Immediately, Piper and Prue went to their sister's side, already preparing to chant the vanquishing spell, but Phoebe stopped them.  
  
"I won't do that."  
  
Prue glanced at her sister incredulously:  
  
"Phoebe, it's gone too far now, we can't let him go."  
  
However, Phoebe insisted:  
  
"Before you came in and destroyed my room, I had managed to get through to him. He was backing out!"  
  
Prue couldn't believe her ears:  
  
"You can't seriously consider forgiving him, can you? Cole tried to kill you!"  
  
Phoebe still went on in spite of her sister's agitation:  
  
"Remember, he didn't kill me even when he was a demon and his life depended on it. Why would he now?"  
  
Piper and Prue could only watch her with a deepening astonishment. In spite of everything, Phoebe was still defending him. However, in the face of her determination, they agreed to postpone the spell.  
  
Phoebe then went to Cole and she picked up the knife that had fallen to the floor. She immediately handed it to Prue.  
  
Then she signaled for Piper to unfreeze Cole. This one cast an uncertain look toward Prue who seemed just as reluctant about it.  
  
"Piper, please… I know what I'm doing," Phoebe pleaded then.  
  
Piper grimaced unhappily but she still gestured Cole out of the freeze, and then took a few steps back. The moment he was free, Cole tried to stand up to defend himself, but when he saw Phoebe in front of him, he stopped struggling. In his eyes, she could read a deep sorrow, but he when he spoke, his voice still held some harshness:  
  
"Why didn't you just finish me?"  
  
Phoebe didn't let it get to her, and she answered softly:  
  
"For the same reason that you couldn't kill me…"  
  
She slowly moved toward him but he took a step back.  
  
"Cole?"  
  
Instead of looking at her, he stared at his own hands for a long moment. Then something broke inside of him and he fell to his knees crying like a child.  
  
After a moment, Phoebe came closer and kneeled beside him. When she was certain that he would let her, she pulled him to herself in relief, knowing that he was at least partly healing.  
  
Then, remembering that her sisters were still in the room, she half turned toward them and said:  
  
"You can leave now. It's ok."  
  
Her sisters' hesitated at length, unsure. Nevertheless, they finally decided to trust Phoebe's judgment and left the room through the shattered door. Even at this, they still remained close by, just in case.  
  
As soon as they had left, Phoebe reported her attention to Cole and she tenderly took his face in her hands, forcing him to look up. His face was haggard, full of remorse and confusion.  
  
She understood that he couldn't say anything, so she spoke instead.  
  
"I know it must be hard for you to believe it, but I forgive you. Everything's gonna be fine now."  
  
Hoarsely, Cole managed:  
  
"How?"  
  
"Our love's gonna help us. Trust me." Then she kissed him tenderly, trying to make him feel the same relief that she felt.  
  
Afterward, they simply held each other in silence…  
  
In the underworld, a terrifying roar was heard and the minions in the throne room backed away in fear. 


	4. ShowDown at Heaven's Gate

SHOWDOWN AT HEAVEN'S GATES  
  
Part 4 of "The Deads are walking the Earth"  
  
In the throne room, there was a dark assembly and the new triad awaited their master fearfully. He had already stated that he wouldn't tolerate a single more failure. Yet, in the last week alone, two more demons had been swiftly vanquished by those accursed Charmed Ones.  
  
The three of them were thinking that their time was counted if they didn't find an effective solution soon.  
  
As their master entered the chamber, they bowed more out of fear then respect. He walked solemnly, without even bothering to acknowledge any of them.  
  
However, the moment he reached his throne, he turned to them angrily and thundered:  
  
"What do I have to do to get results? I gave you my most powerful demons and you sent them to the slaughter. You didn't even manage to put a dent in their resolve. Meanwhile they're even recruiting from our side. How pathetic is that?"  
  
One of the Triad members dared looking up and saying:  
  
"If we'd been in charge, it wouldn't have happened."  
  
All it earned him was a glaring stare that sent a chill through him, as he took a step back and bowed anew.  
  
"If you'd been in charge," The Source growled, "you'd probably be just as dead as the former triad."  
  
The Source paused for a moment, as he stared at the Triad angrily. Then he went on:  
  
"Belthazor was one of my most prized demons. If I ever get my hands on him again, I'll dismember him slowly as an example. This time he won't escape me…  
  
For now however, I'd be satisfied with a witch kill," he added, while his red eyes glowed demonically.  
  
"Find a way, or don't return. I'll have my kill, or kills, one way or the other." This was said with a chilling smile directed at his Triad. Without risking another word, they acquiesced and went out of the room while keeping their heads down.  
  
  
  
Piper and Prue were hanging in the kitchen and Piper asked:  
  
"Prue do you think the Source could be more pissed at us than usual?"  
  
Prue responded sarcastically:  
  
"You think?"  
  
"The attacks are becoming even more vicious if that's possible. Frankly, I long for a break. And with Phoebe so close to term they're really choosing their time."  
  
"Don't I know it?"  
  
Phoebe walked in at that moment, more wobbly, if possible. The baby was very low and she complained often that if it didn't end soon, she wouldn't be able to move at all.  
  
Hearing them talking about the demons, she added:  
  
"Three demons in two weeks… that's way too much. I'm so sorry that I can't be of more help."  
  
"You job is to deliver that baby safely," Prue said with a smile.  
  
Then she became wary again.  
  
"It's a good thing that Cole was there to help, because I'm not sure we'd have survived the last one… However there's still something that bugs me. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his help…a lot. It's just that I've got the feeling that other than work, he's been avoiding us completely. Are you sure he's going to be ok?"  
  
Phoebe's smile becomes visibly forced:  
  
"He will be. It's just that he feels terrible about what happened."  
  
Prue took her sister's hand.  
  
"I hope he knows how lucky he is to have you."  
  
Phoebe answered softly:  
  
"I think he really does, don't worry. But you know what? I'm also lucky to have him. For all the trouble we've had, I've never felt so loved than with him."  
  
Suddenly, Phoebe grimaced in obvious pain. The other two gathered around, half expecting the signal to go to the hospital, but Phoebe just motioned them off.  
  
"It's ok, false alarm. He's got a mean hook that kid. My ribs feel like one big wound."  
  
As she was saying this however, a contented smiled floated on her lips while she lovingly caressed her stomach.  
  
"That's gonna be one worthy of the charmed ones." She said with a big grin.  
  
"As tough as his mother…" Piper added.  
  
"Or her, let's not forget that we don't know yet," Prue commented with a certain amusement. Actually I've got a feeling that we're gonna have pink rather than blue around here again."  
  
In an unaccustomed joyous manner, Cole entered, while commenting on this:  
  
"If she's half as beautiful as her mother, there won't be any complaints here." He kissed Phoebe softly before smiling toward the others. They reacted a little slowly at this and Cole newfound good mood slipped away as he read their hesitation.  
  
Prue noticed his sudden change of attitude and tried humor to lighten up the atmosphere.  
  
"Well look who's finally socializing?"  
  
She had to make a big effort but it paid off as the tension somewhat went away in the room and Cole managed to smile anew. She even gave him a little pat of encouragement on the arm before heading toward the dining room. He was going to follow them when he realized that Phoebe was staying behind.  
  
"You ok, Phoebe?" Cole asked with a hint of concern.  
  
"Yes I'm ok. It's just that I'm not even as fast as an elephant, even if I look like one," she said with a grimace.  
  
Cole wrapped his arms around her and playfully said:  
  
"You're still the loveliest pachyderm I've ever known."  
  
Phoebe slapped his shoulder lightly in the same playful manner.  
  
"You're in a good mood today," she uttered.  
  
As she looked up, she saw that the guilt he'd been expressing for the last two weeks threatened to return.  
  
"Phoebe," he began more seriously, "I don't know how to apologize enough to you and your sisters for what I've done. It seems impossible."  
  
Phoebe caressed his face tenderly:  
  
"You know what they say? Love is never having to be sorry again."  
  
Cole was still unconvinced.  
  
"I don't think it really applies here, Phoebe."  
  
"All I need from you right now is your love and support. No more apologies," she added softly while pulling his face toward hers and into a passionate kiss. When they parted, he smiled and whispered:  
  
"You have that and more… I love you."  
  
"I love you too," she whispered back as they kissed again.  
  
Then, she grimaced comically.  
  
"But if I don't sit down right this minute, I'm gonna start hating everyone."  
  
Cole couldn't help a chuckle at her good humor as he escorted her to the dining room.  
  
The Triad was in deep trouble and they knew it. They were still trying to decide on a plan.  
  
One of them uttered somberly:  
  
"Our number is diminishing and we haven't made a dent in their defenses. I think it's time to exploit our discovery to its full advantage… or we won't see another day."  
  
Another one approved, albeit with some reservations.  
  
"Yes it may be our only choice… but in order to reach the subject, we'll have to expose ourselves."  
  
The first one to have spoken answered:  
  
"If we succeed, it's gonna have been worth the risk. For the spoil will be even greater than our master imagines."  
  
The third one, who had been quiet till then added:  
  
"How can you be so sure that your source will pan out?"  
  
"It will, I assure you. That one has succumbed completely. He'll open the doors to the heavens for us. And then our victory will be total."  
  
In a rare occasion lately, after Phoebe went for a nap, Cole decided to stay behind with Prue and Piper. After a moment of uneasy silence, he let them know what was on his mind.  
  
"I've got something to tell you. And I don't know how to bring it up without you starting to doubt me again."  
  
Prue immediately went on the defensive:  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Coughing with some embarrassment, he began:  
  
"Well here goes: I've had some communications with a warlock in the last two weeks."  
  
At hearing this, Prue became frankly hostile:  
  
"How dare you?" She screamed. "After all Phoebe endured from you!"  
  
Cole put his hands up, trying to stop the explosion of anger he elicited:  
  
"HEY!" He exclaimed. "I never said I intended to return to their side. I just need you to hear me out. It's really important."  
  
Prue was still very upset, but she forced herself to sound calmer.  
  
"First I need to know what you were doing with them."  
  
"She's not the only one," Piper added warily.  
  
He glanced at both in turn, obviously appalled at how easily he had lost their trust. Then, resigned, he answered.  
  
"Ok, I see that you need assurances of my loyalty. I don't know if I can ever really prove myself to you, but let me explain what happened."  
  
"We're waiting," Piper interjected, not in the least softened by his words.  
  
He took a deep breath and commenced:  
  
"As you know, a couple weeks ago I got…lost," he uttered, pausing a little too long.  
  
"What a euphemism!" Prue said then.  
  
"All right I got your drift," Cole responded with a hint of irritation. "Anyhow," he pursued, while trying to ignore their animosity, "during that time, I reconnected with a few other warlocks who were chattier than most. They didn't know about my transformation and gave me the same respect and fear as before. So," he continues quickly since Prue was about to explode, "I used this to my advantage to obtain some valuable information. This is how I've been able to help you more efficiently with the recent vanquishings."  
  
Seeing that they were still not convinced of his sincerity, he explained further.  
  
"Look… when I returned to my old ways, I was very confused, and I assure you that I hit rock bottom. But difficult as it was for me to return to your side, I know for a fact now that nothing's going to make me evil again. I don't expect you to believe it on faith. All I want is a chance to prove it to you."  
  
Prue seemed slightly mollified:  
  
"And how do you intend to do that?"  
  
"Simply by helping you the best I can. I have been since my return, and I intend to continue doing so... But now, there's this delicate matter I have to discuss with you. And you have to trust me on this. If you don't, the whole world might very well be in jeopardy."  
  
Not too impressed by this, Piper said:  
  
"The world's in jeopardy every day. We should know that!"  
  
Cole became impatient again.  
  
"Not like this, I assure you," he still uttered grimly.  
  
"Come out with it," Prue said. "Then we'll decide what it's worth."  
  
Sighing, Cole continued:  
  
"One of the warlocks has been asked to be a go between."  
  
"Between who and who?"  
  
"Between The Triad and one he believed might very well be a whitelighter that wouldn't be too white anymore."  
  
Dumbfounded didn't even describe the expression on the sisters' faces at that moment.  
  
At first, they were simply speechless. Then Prue replied vehemently:  
  
"And you expect us to believe you?"  
  
A shadow crossed over Cole's expression, but he said:  
  
"All I expect from you is that you at least check the story. Whether or not you trust my loyalty, you've got to believe that I'll do everything in my power to keep Phoebe safe. If a Whitelighter turned to evil, he might open heaven's doors to the Triad. This could spell the destruction of thousands of years of building the protection you're enjoying as witches. More than this, they might even manage to destroy the Elders. They are that powerful."  
  
Prue was somewhat impressed by Cole's apparent conviction.  
  
"Supposing that we believe you… what could we do about it? Whitelighters are chosen for their infinite goodness. They're humanitarians. The choice is most certainly not made lightly."  
  
"I understand your incredulity. But believe me, spoken by one who knows the power of love, it can make you do things you never imagined you would…"  
  
Piper seemed a little more interested.  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"Well, it'd seem that one of the whitelighters was assigned to a witch, who recently turned her back on the innocents. The Elders ostracized her and her whitelighter was reassigned. This happens occasionally, as you well know," he said, glancing at Piper, who couldn't deny her intimate knowledge of that fact, considering her own experience. "But that particular whitelighter was madly in love with his witch. Now he reproaches her problems to the Elders. I think she's convinced him that he'd come to see things her way. Or at least, she's closed to."  
  
"Continue…" Prue uttered, as she saw the logic in his explanation at this point.  
  
"Unfortunately, the warlock wasn't much more useful. As much as he feared me, he feared the Triad a lot more. Once he realized that I was a little too interested in what he had to say, he stopped talking and no amount of persuasion could make him tell me the name of the witch, or of the whitelighter for that matter."  
  
Piper asked with a hint of suspicion:  
  
"Persuasion?"  
  
Cole seemed uneasy.  
  
"I'm not proud of it… but the situation appeared to justify some hard measures. If you've got to know… no, I didn't vanquish him. I thought that if I kept him under some surveillance, he could bring us to the one I was looking for. Until now I haven't had any luck. It seems that the Triad's worried about exposing themselves. However, the recent onslaught of attacks tells me that they might be getting desperate. The Triad might be preparing to make their move even as we speak…"  
  
"One last thing…why did you keep this from us, until now?"  
  
"Let just say I expected your reaction. I was hoping that my information would be more complete by the time I told you. Unfortunately, that's all I know.  
  
I'm afraid the only way to find out more, is to have a talk with Leo. But if I know anything about them, I know that they got strict rules about the affairs of other whitelighters. It's not gonna be easy to make him talk about one of them. Besides, I really didn't think he'd talk to me."  
  
"Does Phoebe know anything about this?"  
  
"No. And as much as possible I'd appreciate if you didn't tell her either. She's got enough to worry about right now."  
  
"You might be right about this," Prue said. "Ok! We'll talk to Leo. Hopefully, he'll understand how important this is."  
  
Cole simply answered:  
  
"Good." Then he headed upstairs, leaving the sisters to mull over his revelations.  
  
"I don't think that we've got any time to lose." Prue began right away.  
  
"Are you sure? It's just that it all sounds so farfetched."  
  
"Piper, you know that I'm the first one to doubt Cole, for obvious reasons. But what he said wouldn't give him any advantage. And we know how much he loves Phoebe. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her. This, at least, I believe."  
  
"You're right of course. It's just that it's so incredible."  
  
"Is it? Piper, Leo broke so many rules for you, it's a miracle they didn't cut his wings by now."  
  
"I know, but Leo never turned to Evil…"  
  
"What if you'd been evil yourself?"  
  
Piper didn't really have an answer to that.  
  
Out of arguments, she looked up and called for her husband.  
  
Cole entered the bedroom he shared with Phoebe quietly, hoping not to wake her. However, this one still woke up, no matter how silent he had been. She'd been having problem sleeping lately, for obvious reasons, and would wake up at the slightest disturbance.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake up."  
  
Phoebe smiled sleepily:  
  
"What did I tell you about apologies?"  
  
He returned her smile and came to lie on the bed by her side. She immediately cuddled against him.  
  
"Besides, I enjoy being awake with you."  
  
Cole replied with a knowing smile:  
  
"So do I."  
  
"Even now?" Phoebe questioned, as her eyes fell on her ample stomach.  
  
Cole got her to look at him and smiled anew.  
  
"Now, more than ever… You make me happier than you can even imagine. I can't wait to see our baby, that's true enough. But I'm happy just being with you."  
  
"You're such a charmer! Never stop."  
  
"I won't."  
  
Changing the subject, Phoebe questioned while becoming more serious.  
  
"Was there something the matter with my sisters?"  
  
"Nothing that should concern you… As a matter of fact, I think that we're making progress…at least a little," he added belatedly.  
  
"You've gotta give them some time."  
  
"That's ok. Just as long as I have you, I got all I need."  
  
She gazed at him with all the love she felt inside.  
  
"You won't get rid of me."  
  
"I'm counting on it."  
  
Then they kissed passionately.  
  
Down in the living room, Leo orbed in; he smiled at his wife.  
  
"You called? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yes Leo," Prue answered for them, "something might very well be wrong." From their anxious expressions, Leo understood that it might be serious.  
  
"Ok what is it?"  
  
Prue had to be the one to ask, because Piper couldn't bring herself to.  
  
"Ok first what do you know about your fellow Whitelighters?"  
  
Right away, Leo became guarded.  
  
"Girls, you know that I can't talk to you about this; the rules are clear."  
  
Prue insisted:  
  
"Still, we need to know something and be damned with the rules; this one might be the most important information we've ever needed from you."  
  
Alarmed, Leo questioned:  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Cole was coming back downstairs just then and he decided to stay out of sight for the moment, while he listened intently.  
  
"Well it's difficult to ask and we're not even sure we got it from the most reliable source…" Prue began hesitantly.  
  
At this, Cole grimaced and wondered just what exactly the point of doing all of this for them was.  
  
"Anyway," Prue said again, "we heard that it might be… That maybe…"  
  
Leo showed signs of impatience.  
  
"Would you come out with it please?"  
  
"Ok…! Do you think it's possible that a whitelighter could turn to evil? I mean if he had a really good reason, you know?"  
  
Leo seemed horrified at this suggestion.  
  
"Never!" he exclaimed loudly. "Whitelighters are chosen for their humanitarian qualities and their desire to serve and help people. It's totally contrary to any evil purpose."  
  
Hearing this finished convincing Cole that they very well might not act upon his news, and he took the decision to deal with this himself instead.  
  
Discreetly, he headed out of the house, determined to resume his surveillance of the warlock. He was still hoping that it'd pay off and that he'd be able to bring them proof of what he'd told them.  
  
However, Prue had given more credit than he thought to his story. She was now insisting with Leo.  
  
"I know that it seems unthinkable, Leo. But you've got to hear us out here.  
  
Remember when the Elders were against you and Piper being together?  
  
How you broke the rules so many times for her sake?"  
  
Leo was still very reticent.  
  
"I never turned to evil because of it. I wouldn't have."  
  
Prue went on as persuasively as she could:  
  
"Maybe YOU wouldn't have, but what if another whitelighter had fallen for a witch who turned to evil?" Prue paused in order to let it sink in. "Isn't it possible that he might change for the love of her?"  
  
At this, Leo became visibly uncomfortable, as if a thought had just struck him.  
  
Prue, seeing that she might've been getting somewhere, insisted:  
  
"We know for a fact that love can push a person to incredible lengths. In this very house lives an ex-demon who risked his life more than once and turned his life around because he fell in love, you know that..."  
  
Leo kept very quiet for a moment, obviously mulling over this. Then, he suddenly looked up and said:  
  
"Who told you this?"  
  
This time, the sister couldn't help showing a little embarrassment.  
  
"Cole," Prue answered, and then she added quickly, "I know that it makes it look suspicious but can we take the risk?"  
  
"I guess not. Ok," Leo admitted then with a sigh, "there might be something to what you're saying…"  
  
Piper gasped:  
  
"There is?"  
  
Leo turned to her sadly:  
  
"Yes…there's a Whitelighter, one who's been protesting vehemently against his charge's revocation of privileges. She used black magic for her own purpose and in doing so, broke the most important rules of the good side. After an attempt at convincing her to change her ways, she got angry and went even deeper into evil, which means that she's transforming into a warlock. However, her Whitelighter's reproaching it to the Elders. Still, I never would have believed that it could go this far…"  
  
"Well, it seems that the information was accurate," Prue interjected somberly. She also had a pang of guilt at the way she'd treated Cole. She soon dismissed it however, more worried as she was with the problem at hand. "Now, what does it mean? And most importantly what can we do about it?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Leo answered hesitantly, "but I'll consult with the Elders. As soon as I know more, I'll let you in on it."  
  
Leo gave Piper a light kiss and immediately orbed up.  
  
Prue went into action right away, not willing to wait for this.  
  
"Let's go find Cole; I want him to tell us who is and where is that warlock."  
  
Piper nodded in agreement and they went up to Phoebe's bedroom, convinced that he was still there with her.  
  
They called ahead but didn't wait for an answer before going in.  
  
Inside, there found only Phoebe. This one opened questioning eyes at them.  
  
Prue asked without impatiently: "Where is Cole?"  
  
Phoebe answered sleepily:  
  
"He left a short while ago. Didn't you see him?"  
  
Prue and Piper uttered at the same time:  
  
"No…"  
  
Piper continued for Prue:  
  
"Do you think he went…?" Then she stopped, remembering that Phoebe was supposed to be kept out of it.  
  
Of course this one still picked up on it.  
  
"Went where? What's the matter?"  
  
"Did Cole tell you anything?" Prue questioned rather than answering her.  
  
"Just that he needed to check something further and would be back soon. Is he in trouble?" Phoebe asked anxiously.  
  
"Nothing that should worry you… He probably just wanted to check a hunch he told us about," said Prue, trying to deflect her sister's suspicions. "You concentrate on getting some rest Phoebe. The time's near for you."  
  
Phoebe was so tired that she hardly protested.  
  
"By the way," Prue continued, "you do have the number for the hospital, do you?"  
  
Phoebe became alarmed again:  
  
"Yes… why?"  
  
"Nothing bad, it's just that we're all gonna be out soon, and I'm worried that it you labor might start while we're away, that's all."  
  
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me."  
  
"Ok then," Prue replied with a forced smile, "try to get some sleep, and we'll take care of the rest."  
  
After they had left the room, Prue turned to Piper.  
  
"What do you think Cole's up to? Why didn't he say something?"  
  
"Maybe he just figured that we didn't trust him completely and he went to get some proof?"  
  
"No matter why, we've got to find him now. He's the only one who can possibly locate this warlock and maybe help us stop this madness."  
  
"Scry?" Piper simply said.  
  
"Yup!"  
  
They hurried toward the attic.  
  
In the underworld, the Triad was preparing for the big meeting.  
  
"Are you sure it's safe?"  
  
"Yes I do, the area has been scoured and no witch ever goes there.  
  
Moreover, we'll take all the necessary precautions."  
  
Another expressed doubts.  
  
"I still think that it's a big risk."  
  
"It's better than doing nothing, for we're sure to be destroyed if this plan doesn't work… Our replacements are already smelling demon's blood."  
  
"Then, let's not lose any more time…"  
  
In an isolated part of San Francisco, a man in a hooded tunic was waiting impatiently in an alley. He was looking around constantly, as if afraid of being surprised.  
  
The man surveyed his surrounding one last time, and he suddenly began moving away, albeit hesitantly. Another large man's sudden apparition stopped him short. The newcomer had dark and severe features. He eyed the hooded man suspiciously then.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
The other hesitated, obviously shook by the tall man's presence.  
  
"I… I thought that you weren't coming anymore."  
  
The other threatened:  
  
"You're not trying to get out of this, are you?"  
  
"No, of course not," the hooded man said too quickly.  
  
Cole, who had come here to wait for a sighting of the warlock, watched this exchange while remembering what got him there in the first place.  
  
On one of his scouting trips, he had ended up near this place for no other reasons than its isolation had the same characteristics as many of the place he, himself, used to look for. A lucky break brought him there as those two, he could now see them in the alley, were meeting. It's the strange way in which the one he didn't know, was trying to hide his features and also seemed scared of the warlock that had attracted his attention more than anything else.  
  
But then, when he had seen the hooded man orbing out, that had made it a priority. Questioning the Warlock had been easy enough. All he had to do was push him around a little. His reputation as a vile and dangerous demon still carried some weight in the uninformed circles. He simply hinted at the warlock that he might be interested in the scheme. It had still taken some convincing but in the end, the warlock had given him the highlights of the situation, along with a warning. He'd said he was working directly for the Triad and didn't want to get in trouble with them.  
  
Now, watching them again, Cole wondered if he was in luck. This might be his chance to bring back better information to the Charmed Ones and who knew, maybe the Warlock himself.  
  
Breaking his line of thought, the two men's tone of voice rose considerably, while Warlock closed in on the hooded man in a threatening stance.  
  
"You've better not to be trying to trick me, Whitelighter… Or I'll rip you apart."  
  
Then he grabbed the Whitelighter by the shoulder, shaking him. The Whitelighter tried shake off the Warlock's grasp and in doing so, the hood fell off. Cole could now see a dark haired man with handsome features. On his face, fear, at first, then anger and determination came in turn.  
  
He added then:  
  
"I'll keep my part of the bargain, but you better keep yours."  
  
The Warlock answered smugly:  
  
"No problem, little one. If you deliver what we asked for, you'll get your heart's desire and no trouble from us."  
  
Then he pursued:  
  
"I still don't understand how you're going to get one of them here though. Many of us have tried and failed with disastrous results."  
  
At this, Cole really started paying attention, because he understood where this might be going.  
  
His worst fears were soon confirmed, as the whitelighter morphed into Leo's likeness.  
  
The warlock, puzzled, asked him what this new appearance was supposed to do to help.  
  
The Whitelighter's answer sent a chill down Cole's spine.  
  
"Don't worry… the witch's going to come willingly when asked to by her own whitelighter." And then he smiled, apparently very content with himself.  
  
The Warlock smiled cruelly in turn as understanding dawned on him.  
  
Piper and Prue had just located Cole in an isolated part of town and were preparing to depart when Leo orbed in.  
  
He seemed very preoccupied.  
  
"What's the news?" Although Prue guessed that it wasn't good at seeing his expression.  
  
"We've lost track of him," Leo simply said.  
  
This was enough however to get the girls' full attention. Leo pursued:  
  
"A few hours ago, he just vanished from the radar completely.  
  
I'm afraid that if we don't act now, we might be too late."  
  
Prue didn't need any more encouragement.  
  
"We figured out where Cole is. With a little luck, he found him already."  
  
"Then, there's no time to lose, let's go." Piper said decisively.  
  
They departed in a hurry, while leaving Phoebe alone at home….  
  
Back in the alley, the Warlock was saying:  
  
"It's time to do whatever you have to; they will be coming soon and expect their prize."  
  
The whitelighter just asked:  
  
"You're sure that nobody can detect me?"  
  
"Absolutely sure! They've taken great care to shield you. Nobody'll know until it's too late."  
  
Without waiting, the Whitelighter orbed out, ready to play his part.  
  
Cole had been tempted to go warn the others right away, but now he thought better of it. He raged against his inability to blink however, which he'd lost for good a couple weeks [prior. Renouncing evil had been the best thing he ever did, granted. However, some of the rules were somewhat hard to understand. For the first time in his life, he really felt helpless and that was a terrible sensation.  
  
The girls and Leo were driving fast toward the other side of town, as Leo filled in the blanks in the Whitelighter' story.  
  
"His name is Zach. And up until a few months ago, he was a caring man who took great care of his charges. I considered him my friend and we talked many times. But lately, I noticed a change in him. So did a few of us. But we'd never have imagined it'd go that far."  
  
"What exactly do you think he could do?"  
  
"In a nutshell, a single act of true evil on his part might open a rift into our realm. One which the demons could use to enter, and then wreck havoc all the way to the Elders. As we speak, the Elders are taking precautions and assembling as many whitelighters as they can up there. They're preparing for war."  
  
The girls couldn't help but shivering at the thought.  
  
Prue said then:  
  
"Let's try to stop it before it ever happens."  
  
"Let's hope we can." Leo replied anxiously  
  
In the alley, the Warlock had moved into a dark corner, seemingly to hide from something he expected to come at any moment.  
  
Cole had made up his mind to try and overpower this one before the whitelighter's return. However, he stopped cold when a dark hole opened in the ground not far enough from him for comfort. One by one, the familiar robed figures of the Triad came out from the hole. A wave of despair washed over Cole, as he realized that no matter what, he couldn't fight them by himself, not with the little power he had left from his transformation.  
  
The Warlock approached them cautiously himself, while bowing respectfully. He greeted them and then waited for them to talk.  
  
"Where is she?" One of them asked in a somewhat chanting tone of voice, which was in no way less threatening.  
  
Keeping his eyes to the ground, the Warlock assured them that it wouldn't be much longer. The whitelighter was already at work and should be bringing them the witch at any moment.  
  
"We can't stay here for long… if we don't get what we came for, and the result we expect, you can be sure that you'll pay for it."  
  
The Warlock didn't take the threat lightly and stepped away from them. This, while again assuring them that there wouldn't be any mistakes.  
  
Cole tried to reassure himself that the girls would surely figure out the trick and not be taken. As time went by his hope was growing, that is until the whitelighter's familiar chime was heard in the alley, and in he came with Phoebe. She looked around at first, dumbfounded not to find her sisters. Then when seeing the ones who were in the alley, her curious expression quickly turned to one of terror.  
  
At that moment, a dark cloud seemed to appear out of nowhere in the otherwise blue sky. A cloud that enlarged for every moment that passed. The Whitelighter was pushing Phoebe toward the Triad. And although she was usually feistier, right then a sharp pain in her back close to paralyzed her. On some level, she realized that of all moments to start, her labor just had.  
  
Cole jumped out of his hiding place without thinking and he screamed her name, while throwing a lightning ball toward one of the Triad's members. Unfortunately his scream alerted them and this one blinked out of the way. He reappeared behind Cole and quickly planted a knife between Cole's shoulder blades. For a moment, Cole seemed like suspended, as he stared directly at Phoebe with an expression of intense surprise. Then, he simply dropped to the ground face first. Phoebe screamed: "NO!"  
  
Then she finally reacted by kicking the whitelighter to the ground and trying to run toward Cole. However, the Warlock who delivered her, screaming and kicking to the Triad, quickly overpowered her.  
  
Tears were now rolling freely down her cheeks and she didn't even pay much attention to the pain returning in her back, or to the Triad member who'd grabbed her for that matter. This one was visibly pleased with his catch. All Phoebe could do then was staring at Cole's inert body in despair.  
  
In the car, silence had fallen between the three, as they were nervously nearing their destination. Piper looked out the window and realized that something was amiss suddenly. She asked around.  
  
"Do you see this?" She was pointing at a large dark cloud interspersed with lightning strikes.  
  
Piper continued:  
  
"The rest of the sky's blue and calm except for this spot… what do you think?"  
  
Leo immediately reacted to this:  
  
"It's happened! That's the beginning of a rift!"  
  
Then to Prue he said:  
  
"Pull over, I'll orb you the rest of the way. We've got to find out what is happening and stop it!"  
  
The moment the car halted, Leo orbed them to the alley. They reappeared next to Cole, who was still unconscious. However, they had no time to react to this since they saw that The Triad was there and pulling Phoebe toward a dark hole in the ground. Leo orbed next to them and picked Phoebe up and out of their grasp, orbing her behind Prue and Piper. One of the Triad members uttered a growl and threw a fireball in their direction, which Prue deflected at the last moment. Without too much hope for it to work, Piper attempted to freeze them. The surprise on her face was genuine when she realized that it had worked.  
  
Seeing the hole still opened in the ground, Prue simply tkd them one by one in it and then they fell rapidly out of sight. The moment they were all in, the hole closed on its own, and in the sky, the rift seemed to shrink rapidly, as they were all watching. The Warlock, forgotten in the struggle, simply blinked out. However the whitelighter seemed to be frozen in place. He looked as if he just realized what he had almost done. Nevertheless, they all ignored him, as they finally paid attention to Phoebe's cries. Turning toward it, they found her hugging Cole's body. His face was very pale, but he was still breathing and Phoebe called to Leo for help.  
  
"Please hurry!"  
  
Leo bent over Cole and turned him around to have a better look at the wound.  
  
He reassured Phoebe that he'd be able to heal him. Her face expressed a deep relief as she saw the wound receding under Leo's magic touch. The moment it was done, Cole coughed and woke up as they help him on his back again. The look of surprise on his face was almost comical. Almost…  
  
"I guess I shouldn't try to understand what happened?" He said then.  
  
"Suffice to say, the Triad is back in its hole. At least for the moment…" Prue answered for all of them.  
  
Then Cole grabbed Phoebe and pulled her to him with all his might. It almost took her breath away, but at this point, she didn't mind at all. As soon as they were all reassured that Cole was ok, they returned their attention toward the whitelighter.  
  
This one still looked exactly like Leo. One glance from his fellow Whitelighter told him that the sinister masquerade was over and he went back to his own appearance quickly. Leo went to him without a word, and signaling to the others that he had to go, he orbed out with the traitor, presumably to bring him to his judgement.  
  
Those still in the alley stared at each other in relief. However, Cole noticed Phoebe's sudden cringe.  
  
"Did they hurt you?" He asked, concerned anew.  
  
Phoebe was trying to get back her bearings between contractions and she finally joked without laughing:  
  
"They didn't, but you did."  
  
Alarmed, Cole tried to figure out what she meant.  
  
Phoebe managed a chuckle before adding:  
  
"You dope, like nine months ago!"  
  
Cole still seemed puzzled and was staring at her, clueless. Then, as the truth dawned on him, he exclaimed:  
  
"Oh! What do we do?" Cole asked nervously.  
  
Phoebe responded calmly:  
  
"I think calling a cab and a trip to the hospital would be in order right now."  
  
Prue and Piper, who heard this exchange, became all excited, and they forget all about the recent events. Prue used her cell phone to call the cab.  
  
Later in the labor room, Phoebe suddenly remembered something between two contractions. She pulled Cole to her and said while still panting from the pain:  
  
"No matter what happens here, we're going to have a talk about not telling me important stuff."  
  
He answered while depositing a light kiss on her now sweaty forehead:  
  
"I promise… no more secrets."  
  
Then, she could no longer speak, as the next contraction came.  
  
A while later outside the labor room, the girls were waiting impatiently for some news.  
  
"You know what?" Prue uttered as she paced the small room impatiently, "I'll take vanquishing a demon any day rather than this waiting."  
  
"I hear you." Piper said from her seat while she watched the door to the room no less nervously. Leo entered normally through it then, not wanting to alert anyone, and asked if there was any news.  
  
However, before they could give Leo an answer, a proud daddy came in with his child in arms. Cole told them with a sweet smile:  
  
"She's as pretty as her mother…" This gave them the answer to their question.  
  
Then, they all moved around him to admire the new member of the family, while speaking softly.  
  
They all had tears in their eyes, as they doted over the beautiful baby girl. 


End file.
